Wine Talk June 2016

June is a special month for Talking Wine. To celebrate 10 years of working with what we consider to be the very best Champagne producer, Yannick Prevoteau is visiting us and you will have the opportunity to meet Yannick and hear his story. Please see details below of the evening tasting in the shop on Thursday 23rd June.

We have also just taken delivery of what we consider to be the very best Breton Cidre, Le P’tit Fausset. This truly amazing cider will be on taste in the shop throughout the month. The article below tells more of the story.

With so much going on here, we hope you can join us for one of our tastings very soon..

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Simon.

Celebrating Ten Years of Yannick Prevoteau Champagne at Talking Wines

It is twelve years since I spent a long weekend in Champagne tasting as many different Champagnes as time would allow. I sampled Champagnes from the famous big producers and the smaller grower producers.

On the last day we drove west from Epernay along the Marne Valley where many of the best vineyard sites are located. Guided by the degustation invitations we wound our way through various caves. On arriving in the small town of Damery we spotted a sign inviting us in to another tasting.

It turned out to be a landmark occasion. I could not believe the quality of the Champagnes I was tasting compared to everything else we had tried. Yannick was charming and very straight forward with no Champagne marketing speak. I purchased a few cases to take home with me to contemplate stocking the wines.

While I was convinced I had found a great Champagne producer, I tried the wine with some other trusted wine lovers with good palates and the view was unanimous, we had to have it. This continues to this day with Yannick’s Champagne winning our blind tasting of Champagnes in the shop every December.

I am delighted that to celebrate ten years working together, Yannick Prevoteau is coming to Cirencester. We will have Yannick Prevoteau Champagne on offer throughout June. If you would like to meet Yannick and hear the story behind the wine, we are holding a tasting at 7pm on Thursday 23rd June. We will have matching canapes from Made by Bob and it should be a great evening. We have a limited of tickets available at £15 with 15% of all Yannick Prevoteau Champagne purchased on the night. I hope you will be able to join us.

Breton Cidre at Talking Wines

We are very excited to have finally managed to ship the most fantastic Breton Cidre at Talking Wines. It is a result of twenty years research of tasting local ciders on my frequent trips to Brittany. The cider from Le P’tit Fausset stands out as the best I have found and all the team at Talking Wines have been looking forward to its arrival.

Le P’tit Fausset is based in rural Brittany in the town of Medrignac with orchards nearby. Gilles Barbe’s family have been making traditional Breton Cidre for sixty years. Originally it was to diversify the farm activities to reduce the reliance on the production of local honey (which is also fantastic). Climate variations and the effect of pesticides on the bee population made the production of honey erratic and hence the cider operation was born.

Using only local traditional apple varieties, Gilles orchards are organic. This is driven by the affects on the bee population that Gilles has observed over the years. Apples from other local growers are also used to make the cider, some of which but not all are organic. The cider is made in the traditional cidre bouche method, with secondary fermentation in the bottle giving fine bubbles to the cider. It has been great to meet Gilles who is passionate about his cider and the environment. His ethos fits very well with the type of wine producers we like to deal with.

The flavour is of pure intense apples. It is a very natural style and a perfect summer drink. It is difficult in words to convey just how flavoursome, natural and different to others ciders it is. We will have a bottle open for sampling throughout June, so I hope you will take the opportunity to come and try this wonderful Breton Cidre.

Saturday Tastings in the shop 10am – 4pm

Saturday 4th June – Portugal

Saturday 11th June – Rose

Saturday 18th June – Chile

Saturday 25th June – Indaba Wines, South Africa

Saturday 2nd July – Loire

Yannick Prevoteau Champagne Tasting 7pm Thursday 23rd June
Meet Yannick Prevoteau at Talking Wines
Hear the story behind the champagne
Taste 4 champagnes
Canapes by Made By Bob
Tickets in advance £15
Includes discount of 15% off all Yannick Prevoteau Champagne purchased on the night

Tastings & Events

Wine Talk

Cirencester Shop

Opening Hours

Mon – Fri:9am - 5.30pm

Saturday:10am - 4pm

Wine tastings every Saturday.

We welcome feedback on any of our wines so please let us know what you think.

What some of our trade customers say

“We've been sourcing wines from Talking Wines for our tapas bar Los Gatos in Swindon since 2008. Simon lists so many great value, carefully chosen wines from small independent producers, that he now supplies the lion's share of our wine lists for both Los Gatos and our French restaurant Bistro les Chats. We moved our business to Talking Wines from a larger importer, not only because of the wine but because the service Simon and his team provide is second to none.”

Phil Saunter – Los Gatos & Bistro Les Chats

“We discovered Talking Wines a couple of years after we opened and it has been our pleasure to grow up with them since. From the beginning they have been consistently great about what they do from the diverse range of wines offered and the quality of the wines to the friendly and professional service. Their ever present enthusiasm for all things wine is completely infectious and their combined knowledge staggering, they leave no stone (terroir!) unturned in their quest for the next addition to the list. I look forward to many more years of business with them.”

Tom Greenstock – Horse & Groom

“Talking Wines offer a diverse and interesting range of wines, all competitively priced. The team are professional and knowledgeable and deliver exceptional customer service.”

Mark Everett – Russell’s of Broadway

“When we were originally choosing a wine supplier for our pub, we saw several who were quite disappointing. Talking Wines came in - we loved ALL their wines and we immediately decided to use them. A wise decision. They are great to deal with and the wines do really well.”

Paula Woof – The Tally Ho Community Pub

“Talking wines are quite literally a breath of fresh air, Richard and his team are both knowledgeable and innovative in recognising my customers sometimes very exacting requirements and have exceeded my expectations over a relatively short period of time. Keep up the good work chaps!”